You’ve heard about seizing the day, but we’ve got something even better than that.
How about parfait’ing your day?
At Parfe Diem in Sugar House, you won’t find just any parfaits; think decadence, perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.
While the flavors on the menu are sweet and enticing, Parfe Diem’s debut in Utah has been:
“It’s been kind of like a slow burn,” said owner and operator Parker D. Barbee. “Volatility is kind of normal for us because we are a relatively new concept to Salt Lake, to the state.”
The parfait professionals got their start a year and a half ago.
As with any start-up, you’ve got to find your footing, but they’re not the only ones trying to get their feet underneath them.
“What every business is facing right now, whether they’ve been around for two months, two years, 20 years or 200 years, is there is a lot of volatility in the market right now,” said Derek Miller, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Miller says the October Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard, created in partnership with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, did bring some surprises.
The dashboard, which is updated once a month, informs business leaders about the state of Utah’s economy.
But with the 43-day-long government shutdown, there are some holes in the data for last month.
What we do know: Consumer sentiment in Utah dropped.
“What is a bit surprising is how much it dropped in Utah. It fell a full eight percentage points in October, and that’s quite a drop,” said Miller. “Businesses need to start getting that economic data because this is the way that business leaders make decisions, and it’s decisions they don’t want to make in the dark.”
According to the dashboard, the state continues to show moderate growth, taxable sales are slightly outpacing inflation.
What the dashboard can’t completely capture with data holes left because of the government shutdown, might be summed up by Parfe Diem.
“We can’t hire more people for full-time right now,” said Barbee. “I’m still an owner-operator, which is great. I’m glad that I am in this position rather than working for someone else, I’ll take that any day over going back to the workforce. We’ll get there eventually with hiring.”
What October’s numbers boil down to:
“Uncertainty. They’re facing uncertainty in the marketplace,” said Miller. “They’re facing a lot of uncertainty when it comes to trading tariffs. Trade is a very important element of Utah’s economy. We’re one of the top 10 exporters in the country, which is surprising for a state in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. But we have a lot of businesses that are very successful in making things here.”
Despite the unknown, Parfe Diem plans to keep doing just what their name implies: parfait’ing your day.
“It’s incredible just to be able to make someone’s day and be a part of them creating memories with other folks, one spoon at a time,” said Barbee. “It’s amazing.”
